Deuteronomy:1-4

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* These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on this side of the Jordan in the wilderness , in the plain opposite Suph , between Paran , Tophel , Laban , Hazeroth , and Dizahab . * It is eleven days ' journey from Horeb by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea . * Now it came to pass in the fortieth year , in the eleventh month , on the first day of the month , that Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that the LORD had given him as commandments to them , * after he had killed Sihon king of the Amorites , who dwelt in Heshbon , and Og king of Bashan , who dwelt at Ashtaroth in Edrei . * On this side of the Jordan in the land of Moab , Moses began to explain this law , saying , * "The LORD our God spoke to us in Horeb , saying : "You have dwelt long enough at this mountain . * Turn and take your journey , and go to the mountains of the Amorites , to all the neighboring places in the plain , in the mountains and in the lowland , in the South and on the seacoast , to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon , as far as the great river , the River Euphrates . * See , I have set the land before you ; go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to your fathers--to Abraham , Isaac , and Jacob--to give to them and their descendants after them .' * "And I spoke to you at that time , saying : "I alone am not able to bear you . * The LORD your God has multiplied you , and here you are today , as the stars of heaven in multitude . * May the LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times more numerous than you are , and bless you as He has promised you ! * How can I alone bear your problems and your burdens and your complaints ? * Choose wise , understanding , and knowledgeable men from among your tribes , and I will make them heads over you .' * And you answered me and said , "The thing which you have told us to do is good .' * So I took the heads of your tribes , wise and knowledgeable men , and made them heads over you , leaders of thousands , leaders of hundreds , leaders of fifties , leaders of tens , and officers for your tribes . * "Then I commanded your judges at that time , saying , "Hear the cases between your brethren , and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the stranger who is with him . * You shall not show partiality in judgment ; you shall hear the small as well as the great ; you shall not be afraid in any man 's presence , for the judgment is God 's . The case that is too hard for you , bring to me , and I will hear it .' * And I commanded you at that time all the things which you should do . * "So we departed from Horeb , and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw on the way to the mountains of the Amorites , as the LORD our God had commanded us . Then we came to Kadesh Barnea . * And I said to you , "You have come to the mountains of the Amorites , which the LORD our God is giving us . * Look , the LORD your God has set the land before you ; go up and possess it , as the LORD God of your fathers has spoken to you ; do not fear or be discouraged .' * "And every one of you came near to me and said , "Let us send men before us , and let them search out the land for us , and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up , and of the cities into which we shall come .' * "The plan pleased me well ; so I took twelve of your men , one man from each tribe . * And they departed and went up into the mountains , and came to the Valley of Eshcol , and spied it out . * They also took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us ; and they brought back word to us , saying , "It is a good land which the LORD our God is giving us .' * "Nevertheless you would not go up , but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God ; * and you complained in your tents , and said , "Because the LORD hates us , He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites , to destroy us . * Where can we go up ? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts , saying , "The people are greater and taller than we ; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven ; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there ."' * "Then I said to you , "Do not be terrified , or afraid of them . * The LORD your God , who goes before you , He will fight for you , according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes , * and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you , as a man carries his son , in all the way that you went until you came to this place .' * Yet , for all that , you did not believe the LORD your God , * who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents , to show you the way you should go , in the fire by night and in the cloud by day . * "And the LORD heard the sound of your words , and was angry , and took an oath , saying , * "Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers , * except Caleb the son of Jephunneh ; he shall see it , and to him and his children I am giving the land on which he walked , because he wholly followed the LORD .' * The LORD was also angry with me for your sakes , saying , "Even you shall not go in there . * Joshua the son of Nun , who stands before you , he shall go in there . Encourage him , for he shall cause Israel to inherit it . * "Moreover your little ones and your children , who you say will be victims , who today have no knowledge of good and evil , they shall go in there ; to them I will give it , and they shall possess it . * But as for you , turn and take your journey into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea .' * "Then you answered and said to me , "We have sinned against the LORD ; we will go up and fight , just as the LORD our God commanded us .' And when everyone of you had girded on his weapons of war , you were ready to go up into the mountain . * "And the LORD said to me , "Tell them , "Do not go up nor fight , for I am not among you ; lest you be defeated before your enemies ."' * So I spoke to you ; yet you would not listen , but rebelled against the command of the LORD , and presumptuously went up into the mountain . * And the Amorites who dwelt in that mountain came out against you and chased you as bees do , and drove you back from Seir to Hormah . * Then you returned and wept before the LORD , but the LORD would not listen to your voice nor give ear to you . * "So you remained in Kadesh many days , according to the days that you spent there . * "Then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness of the Way of the Red Sea , as the LORD spoke to me , and we skirted Mount Seir for many days . * "And the LORD spoke to me , saying : * "You have skirted this mountain long enough ; turn northward . * And command the people , saying , "You are about to pass through the territory of your brethren , the descendants of Esau , who live in Seir ; and they will be afraid of you . Therefore watch yourselves carefully . * Do not meddle with them , for I will not give you any of their land , no , not so much as one footstep , because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession . * You shall buy food from them with money , that you may eat ; and you shall also buy water from them with money , that you may drink . * "For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand . He knows your trudging through this great wilderness . These forty years the LORD your God has been with you ; you have lacked nothing ."' * "And when we passed beyond our brethren , the descendants of Esau who dwell in Seir , away from the road of the plain , away from Elath and Ezion Geber , we turned and passed by way of the Wilderness of Moab . * Then the LORD said to me , "Do not harass Moab , nor contend with them in battle , for I will not give you any of their land as a possession , because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession ."' * (The Emim had dwelt there in times past , a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim . * They were also regarded as giants , like the Anakim , but the Moabites call them Emim . * The Horites formerly dwelt in Seir , but the descendants of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them , and dwelt in their place , just as Israel did to the land of their possession which the LORD gave them .) * ""Now rise and cross over the Valley of the Zered .' So we crossed over the Valley of the Zered . * And the time we took to come from Kadesh Barnea until we crossed over the Valley of the Zered was thirty-eight years , until all the generation of the men of war was consumed from the midst of the camp , just as the LORD had sworn to them . * For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them , to destroy them from the midst of the camp until they were consumed . * "So it was , when all the men of war had finally perished from among the people , * that the LORD spoke to me , saying : * "This day you are to cross over at Ar , the boundary of Moab . * And when you come near the people of Ammon , do not harass them or meddle with them , for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession , because I have given it to the descendants of Lot as a possession ."' * (That was also regarded as a land of giants ; giants formerly dwelt there . But the Ammonites call them Zamzummim , * a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim . But the LORD destroyed them before them , and they dispossessed them and dwelt in their place , * just as He had done for the descendants of Esau , who dwelt in Seir , when He destroyed the Horites from before them . They dispossessed them and dwelt in their place , even to this day . * And the Avim , who dwelt in villages as far as Gaza--the Caphtorim , who came from Caphtor , destroyed them and dwelt in their place .) * ""Rise , take your journey , and cross over the River Arnon . Look , I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite , king of Heshbon , and his land . Begin to possess it , and engage him in battle . * This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the nations under the whole heaven , who shall hear the report of you , and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you .' * "And I sent messengers from the Wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon , with words of peace , saying , * "Let me pass through your land ; I will keep strictly to the road , and I will turn neither to the right nor to the left . * You shall sell me food for money , that I may eat , and give me water for money , that I may drink ; only let me pass through on foot , * just as the descendants of Esau who dwell in Seir and the Moabites who dwell in Ar did for me , until I cross the Jordan to the land which the LORD our God is giving us .' * "But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through , for the LORD your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate , that He might deliver him into your hand , as it is this day . * "And the LORD said to me , "See , I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you . Begin to possess it , that you may inherit his land .' * Then Sihon and all his people came out against us to fight at Jahaz . * And the LORD our God delivered him over to us ; so we defeated him , his sons , and all his people . * We took all his cities at that time , and we utterly destroyed the men , women , and little ones of every city ; we left none remaining . * We took only the livestock as plunder for ourselves , with the spoil of the cities which we took . * From Aroer , which is on the bank of the River Arnon , and from the city that is in the ravine , as far as Gilead , there was not one city too strong for us ; the LORD our God delivered all to us . * Only you did not go near the land of the people of Ammon--anywhere along the River Jabbok , or to the cities of the mountains , or wherever the LORD our God had forbidden us . * "Then we turned and went up the road to Bashan ; and Og king of Bashan came out against us , he and all his people , to battle at Edrei . * And the LORD said to me , "Do not fear him , for I have delivered him and all his people and his land into your hand ; you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites , who dwelt at Heshbon .' * "So the LORD our God also delivered into our hands Og king of Bashan , with all his people , and we attacked him until he had no survivors remaining . * And we took all his cities at that time ; there was not a city which we did not take from them : sixty cities , all the region of Argob , the kingdom of Og in Bashan . * All these cities were fortified with high walls , gates , and bars , besides a great many rural towns . * And we utterly destroyed them , as we did to Sihon king of Heshbon , utterly destroying the men , women , and children of every city . * But all the livestock and the spoil of the cities we took as booty for ourselves . * "And at that time we took the land from the hand of the two kings of the Amorites who were on this side of the Jordan , from the River Arnon to Mount Hermon * (the Sidonians call Hermon Sirion , and the Amorites call it Senir ), * all the cities of the plain , all Gilead , and all Bashan , as far as Salcah and Edrei , cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan . * "For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the giants . Indeed his bedstead was an iron bedstead . (Is it not in Rabbah of the people of Ammon ?) Nine cubits is its length and four cubits its width , according to the standard cubit . * "And this land , which we possessed at that time , from Aroer , which is by the River Arnon , and half the mountains of Gilead and its cities , I gave to the Reubenites and the Gadites . * The rest of Gilead , and all Bashan , the kingdom of Og , I gave to half the tribe of Manasseh . (All the region of Argob , with all Bashan , was called the land of the giants . * Jair the son of Manasseh took all the region of Argob , as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites , and called Bashan after his own name , Havoth Jair , to this day .) * "Also I gave Gilead to Machir . * And to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave from Gilead as far as the River Arnon , the middle of the river as the border , as far as the River Jabbok , the border of the people of Ammon ; * the plain also , with the Jordan as the border , from Chinnereth as far as the east side of the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea ), below the slopes of Pisgah . * "Then I commanded you at that time , saying : "The LORD your God has given you this land to possess . All you men of valor shall cross over armed before your brethren , the children of Israel . * But your wives , your little ones , and your livestock (I know that you have much livestock ) shall stay in your cities which I have given you , * until the LORD has given rest to your brethren as to you , and they also possess the land which the LORD your God is giving them beyond the Jordan . Then each of you may return to his possession which I have given you .' * "And I commanded Joshua at that time , saying , "Your eyes have seen all that the LORD your God has done to these two kings ; so will the LORD do to all the kingdoms through which you pass . * You must not fear them , for the LORD your God Himself fights for you .' * "Then I pleaded with the LORD at that time , saying : * "O Lord GOD , You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand , for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds ? * I pray , let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan , those pleasant mountains , and Lebanon .' * "But the LORD was angry with me on your account , and would not listen to me . So the LORD said to me : "Enough of that ! Speak no more to Me of this matter . * Go up to the top of Pisgah , and lift your eyes toward the west , the north , the south , and the east ; behold it with your eyes , for you shall not cross over this Jordan . * But command Joshua , and encourage him and strengthen him ; for he shall go over before this people , and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you will see .' * "So we stayed in the valley opposite Beth Peor . * "Now , O Israel , listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe , that you may live , and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers is giving you . * You shall not add to the word which I command you , nor take from it , that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you . * Your eyes have seen what the LORD did at Baal Peor ; for the LORD your God has destroyed from among you all the men who followed Baal of Peor . * But you who held fast to the LORD your God are alive today , every one of you . * "Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments , just as the LORD my God commanded me , that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess . * Therefore be careful to observe them ; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes , and say , "Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people .' * "For what great nation is there that has God so near to it , as the LORD our God is to us , for whatever reason we may call upon Him ? * And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day ? * Only take heed to yourself , and diligently keep yourself , lest you forget the things your eyes have seen , and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life . And teach them to your children and your grandchildren , * especially concerning the day you stood before the LORD your God in Horeb , when the LORD said to me , "Gather the people to Me , and I will let them hear My words , that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth , and that they may teach their children .' * "Then you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain , and the mountain burned with fire to the midst of heaven , with darkness , cloud , and thick darkness . * And the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire . You heard the sound of the words , but saw no form ; you only heard a voice . * So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform , the Ten Commandments ; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone . * And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments , that you might observe them in the land which you cross over to possess . * "Take careful heed to yourselves , for you saw no form when the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire , * lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure : the likeness of male or female , * the likeness of any animal that is on the earth or the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air , * the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground or the likeness of any fish that is in the water beneath the earth . * And take heed , lest you lift your eyes to heaven , and when you see the sun , the moon , and the stars , all the host of heaven , you feel driven to worship them and serve them , which the LORD your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage . * But the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace , out of Egypt , to be His people , an inheritance , as you are this day . * Furthermore the LORD was angry with me for your sakes , and swore that I would not cross over the Jordan , and that I would not enter the good land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance . * But I must die in this land , I must not cross over the Jordan ; but you shall cross over and possess that good land . * Take heed to yourselves , lest you forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He made with you , and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which the LORD your God has forbidden you . * For the LORD your God is a consuming fire , a jealous God . * "When you beget children and grandchildren and have grown old in the land , and act corruptly and make a carved image in the form of anything , and do evil in the sight of the LORD your God to provoke Him to anger , * I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day , that you will soon utterly perish from the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess ; you will not prolong your days in it , but will be utterly destroyed . * And the LORD will scatter you among the peoples , and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD will drive you . * And there you will serve gods , the work of men 's hands , wood and stone , which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell . * But from there you will seek the LORD your God , and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul . * When you are in distress , and all these things come upon you in the latter days , when you turn to the LORD your God and obey His voice * (for the LORD your God is a merciful God ), He will not forsake you nor destroy you , nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them . * "For ask now concerning the days that are past , which were before you , since the day that God created man on the earth , and ask from one end of heaven to the other , whether any great thing like this has happened , or anything like it has been heard . * Did any people ever hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire , as you have heard , and live ? * Or did God ever try to go and take for Himself a nation from the midst of another nation , by trials , by signs , by wonders , by war , by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm , and by great terrors , according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes ? * To you it was shown , that you might know that the LORD Himself is God ; there is none other besides Him . * Out of heaven He let you hear His voice , that He might instruct you ; on earth He showed you His great fire , and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire . * And because He loved your fathers , therefore He chose their descendants after them ; and He brought you out of Egypt with His Presence , with His mighty power , * driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you , to bring you in , to give you their land as an inheritance , as it is this day . * Therefore know this day , and consider it in your heart , that the LORD Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath ; there is no other . * You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today , that it may go well with you and with your children after you , and that you may prolong your days in the land which the LORD your God is giving you for all time ." * Then Moses set apart three cities on this side of the Jordan , toward the rising of the sun , * that the manslayer might flee there , who kills his neighbor unintentionally , without having hated him in time past , and that by fleeing to one of these cities he might live : * Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau for the Reubenites , Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites , and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites . * Now this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel . * These are the testimonies , the statutes , and the judgments which Moses spoke to the children of Israel after they came out of Egypt , * on this side of the Jordan , in the valley opposite Beth Peor , in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites , who dwelt at Heshbon , whom Moses and the children of Israel defeated after they came out of Egypt . * And they took possession of his land and the land of Og king of Bashan , two kings of the Amorites , who were on this side of the Jordan , toward the rising of the sun , * from Aroer , which is on the bank of the River Arnon , even to Mount Sion (that is , Hermon ), * and all the plain on the east side of the Jordan as far as the Sea of the Arabah , below the slopes of Pisgah . * And Moses called all Israel , and said to them : "Hear , O Israel , the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today , that you may learn them and be careful to observe them .

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